Original Team Behind Excel 1.0 and Holiday Specials!

It’s been been a few months since our last update and it was definitely not our intention to have such a long break! Having a weekly newsletter was definitely an ambitious goal, and needless to say we failed after a few weeks. Producing great content for this site has definitely been difficult since members on our team have full-time jobs, so instead we’ll aim to send shorter/quicker/funnier updates more periodically rather than the super long stories that we usually post.

In this update, we’ll round up all the useful Excel and productivity stories to help you get better at your job in 2016, because you want to be better in Excel and more productive, right? Hell yes. Additionally, we are running our usual holiday promotions for our keyboard covers as well, so use the code HAPPYHOLIDAYS2015 during checkout to save 25% off your purchase + free shipping!

“Everywhere in the world I’ve ever been, people know what Excel is, and can tell their stories about how it empowered them, and it’s just awesomely cool.” – Joe DeVaan, original Excel 1.0 team member

Getting Started With IF…THEN Statements

We’ve found that many of our readers and customers are relatively new to Excel, and some of our Excel tutorials might be a little too advanced for these readers such as the challenge questions we posted from the 2013 Modeloff competition.

So getting back to basics, here’s a really good article from PC World explaining the ins and outs of using logical formulas in Excel to automate common data analysis operations. IF/THEN statements are on of the building blocks of Excel and the article goes on to state that the best way to “read” a logical formula is to try to read out the formula in a sentence as if you were reading a sentence in a book. From determining commissions to test scores percentiles, the number of applications for logical formulas in Excel is never ending.

For most analysts who have used Excel for a few years, IF/THEN statements seem like a no-brainer. However, if you are new to Excel and want to really impress your boss, pick up this super simple skill and change the way your company works forever.

How Jack Dorsey Stays On Top of His Game

Jack Dorsey is a genius. Not just because he runs two of the largest and most disruptive companies in the world, but because he has a very methodical approach to scheduling his weeks to maximize productivity.

By allocating each day of the week to do specific tasks related to his businesses (marketing, product, management, etc.), Jack is able to stay productive for both of his companies. These “themed” days accomplish two goals: 1) Developing a cadence for how you focus and 2) Grouping like tasks together. Maybe companies could schedule a few hours a week on Monday mornings to get all the Facebooking out of the way, so employees don’t browse Facebook during the day that takes away from their productivity? Probably a bit too extreme, we all need our Facebook fix.

Lead Developer on Excel Once Farmed Lettuce, and Excel Almost Called “Odyssey”!!!

One of our favorite stories about the founding team behind Excel 1.0. It sounds like the original team behind Excel was very much like any other startup trying to create a product (and perhaps a market for the product) that would shape the way businesses function forever. The Excel 1.0 team was scrappy and Microsoft, overall, took a huge risk on two programs that ultimately paid off: Excel and Windows.

Other tidbits from this story we enjoyed:

Doug Klunder, lead developer on Excel 1.0, left the team for a brief time to be a lettuce farmer

Before being named Excel, other names for the software included “Odyssey,” “Master Plan,” and “Mr. Spreadsheet.” Man oh man if “Mr. Spreadsheet” caught on and became an avatar, Clippy would have had a run for his money

Print Preview almost didn’t exist as a feature!

Selectively recalculating cells as one of the features that put Excel ahead of its competitors such as Lotus 1-2-3 and VisiCalc

Holiday Special 25% Off Store + Free Shipping

Give the gift of Excel (well not Excel the software but productivity in Excel) this year during our normal holiday sale starting today! Use the code HAPPYHOLIDAYS2015 to save 25% and free shipping on your order. We made this fun little video last year combining a classic 90s show with a pop artist born in the 90s (gosh we’re old).

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Testimonials

KeyCuts has helped expedite my work because the shortcuts are ready at my fingertips. It’s also helped me transition from a PC to a Mac. The cover is thin and tactile and protects my computer. Love the neon pink — it adds flash and gets compliments.

I really enjoy using my KeyCuts keyboard cover! In addition to providing helpful Excel shortcuts for my Mac, it protects my keys from wear and tear that typically happens when I carry my laptop from place to place. I get so many compliments on my keyboard cover that I’ve started gifting them to clients!

I used Excel on a PC extensively at my previous job, but became a Mac user for the first time when I went to business school. KeyCuts has been super helpful in teaching me how to use the shortcuts I had become reliant on in Excel for Mac. Truly a great product!

It’s often said there are no shortcuts in life. Sure, maybe this is true. But with KeyCuts I’ve learned how to manipulate formats and basic functions in Excel such as autosum, sorting, and paste special without using my mouse and cutting down the time I spend in spreadsheets.

I’m in a position where I must frequently use both Macs and PCs. Prior to KeyCuts, if I had to do anything with spreadsheets, I would just have to dig up a PC and turn it on. Now that I have KeyCuts, my productivity is worlds better, and I feel like I’m finally able to get my money’s worth out of the Mac.

MISSION KeyCuts makes you faster and more productive on the job with Excel keyboard shortcuts. Through keyboard cover products, classes, and custom consulting, KeyCuts will help you become the Excel guru you've always wanted to be.